Project Work Key-notes

fanuel

I've written this notes a while ago, for a class of photography.
I believe that this kind of resources is rather hard to find online and might be useful for those who want to get into Project oriented Photography.

[FONT=&quot][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]##### Notes on: Production phase. #####[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]- Rigor of Concept[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] Idea or concept followed and developed through out the entire project.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]This is the Statement that the artist is writing and presenting to the audience. A Statement made of Images and words.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] A Project Brief will be produced out of the ideas stipulated in this phase.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]- Research[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] Historical and social research should be conducted on the subject.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] Written notes and sample images will be of use later on in the project.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]- note writing[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Maintaining a journal on the project and the subject, simplify and stabilize the concepts in the artist's mind.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]These notes and journals will be of reference at any moment during the development and after completion of the project.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]- discuss your mind[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Even though, the act of "producing your statement" is an often solitary activity.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Discussing your idea with your peers will be of advantage and inspiration.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]This will certainly explore angles and views that have been overlooked or not considered before.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]- Timeline[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] Set up a timeline for any major and subsequent task.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] Almost all projects begin as a personal activity.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]The fact that is a personal activity, might give the impression that is virtually timeless and anything can be done at any time.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] Nothing more wrong.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]- Budget[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] Every project requires variable expenses.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] It could be direct or indirect.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]We call direct all those expenses such as materials and services that need to be bought.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] Such as Printing, proofing, etc.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]We call indirect expenses all those materials and services that are not to be bought, paid on-demand or of no apparent cost.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] Examples are: electricity, personal stock, phone calls and time.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Expenses should be taken in consideration carefully, as it prejudices the success of completion of the whole project.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]- Artist's Statement [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Many believe that this is the most important part of a good body of work and yet, many don't even read it.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]I believe that the Artist's Statement is as important as the rest and secondary to none.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]It must be of introduction to your completed work. No technical details are required unless the main subject is the techniques used.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]This is what a Gallery, Editor, etc, will require prior to look at any image.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]These are the words of your work.[/FONT]


[FONT=&quot]##### Things to Avoid #####[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]- Fail and achieve[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Don't confide in the idea that at the first attempt, a great work will be produced.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Several trial-and-fail on the same subject are common even for the great Masters.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Edward Weston's Masterpiece Pepper Number 30 had, eventually, 29 predecessors or shall we say failures.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]- Jumping On and Off.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Keep being focused on the details of any task set in the Timeline.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Don't take breaks before any Major Task in your Timeline. This will train specially those who have never done project-work.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]- Changing technique half way through.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]We see often new ideas and experiments performed by more or less consolidated artists.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Even more often we are seduced to try and apply these techniques to existing or ongoing.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Unless we are ready to break the consistency of our project, these changes should be avoided and left for a project that is yet to be started.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot][/FONT]

AnCatDubh

That's very good. Thanks for posting. I think we should link it into the FAQ's as a project primer.

One aspect of it i'm interested in your opinion;

- Artist's Statement
Many believe that this is the most important part of a good body of work and yet, many don't even read it.
I believe that the Artist's Statement is as important as the rest and secondary to none.
It must be of introduction to your completed work. No technical details are required unless the main subject is the techniques used.
This is what a Gallery, Editor, etc, will require prior to look at any image.
These are the words of your work.

When reading many artists (photographers) statements, I find that photographers are ill equipped in the most general sense to do the textual explanation piece. I don't know why but that is as it appears to me. Perhaps I'm not visiting the right places. This, so much so that I have found it to be mostly more relevant to ignore the artists statement (as you indicate in your piece) and concentrate on their project.

So, I guess my point (and I accept that this point is from a very uneducated perspective) is that whilst the theory of the artists statement may be the utopia, in practice photographers may not have the linguistic or compositional skills to effectively communicate their project context.

Just an observation.

elven

That's kind of why they are photographers, and not writers... That part is painful. I wish someone good at writing would do it for me.

fanuel

Thanks for your interest AnCatDubh,

AnCatDubh wrote: »

That's very good. Thanks for posting. I think
So, I guess my point (and I accept that this point is from a very uneducated perspective) is that whilst the theory of the artists statement may be the utopia, in practice photographers may not have the linguistic or compositional skills to effectively communicate their project context.

personally I wouldn't say "utopia" as it implies that the formulation of a proper statement is achievable only in theory.
I understand your point and partially agree with it.
Having the linguistic skills is not an issue when formulating a statement, since it might be brought to a reviewer for correction.
Said that, I believe that a project with no Artist's Statement is weak by nature. It's rather presumptuous and immature thinking that a body of work might be complete without a clear literal contextualization of the intentions and targets of the Artist.

obviously open to thoughts

fanuel

thanks for your interest Elven

elven wrote: »

That's kind of why they are photographers, and not writers... That part is painful. I wish someone good at writing would do it for me.

At the beginning I had the same wishes, but the photographers ARE writers in fact, often they become reporters and their statements are the actual articles bound to their photographs.

I found that noting the activities involved in a project simplify of a good measure the formulation of a final Statement. At the end, the formulation, is almost a copy and past of your Project Journal.